List of styles of music: A–F

A B C D E F

#

• 2-step garage – chaotic style of UK garage.
• 2 Tone – late-1970s UK ska revival which fused ska with punk rock.
• 4-beat – breakbeat hardcore subgenre played between 150 and 170 BPM consisting of a fast looped breakbeat and a drum at every 4 beats.
• 12-bar blues – A distinctive form predominantly based on the I-IV-V chords of a key.
• 50s progression

A

Aa-Ak – Al-An – Ap-Ax

• A cappella – any singing performed without any background music/instruments.

Aa-Ak

• Acid house – psychedelic style of house
• Acid jazz – psychedelic style of jazz influenced heavily by funk and hip-hop production
• Acid rock – a form of psychedelic rock, characterized with long instrumental solos, few (if any) lyrics and musical improvisation
• Acid techno – a form of techno that developed out of acid house.
• Acoustic – a music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means.
• Adult contemporary – a broad term for any music with lush and soothing qualities, and a focus on melody and harmony.
• Afrobeat – a large-scaled and energetic combination of Yoruba, highlife, jazz, and funk music.
• Afro-Cuban jazz – style of jazz influenced by traditional Afro-Cuban music.
• Afropop – a genre of African popular music.

Al-An

• Aleatoric – music the compositi of which is partially left to chance
• Alternative country – any style of country that deviates from the normal
• Alternative dance – any combination of rock and electronic dance music
• Alternative hip hop – any style of hip hop that deviates from the norm
• Alternative metal – any style of heavy metal that deviates from the norm
• Alternative R&B – any style of R&B that deviates from the norm
• Alternative rock – any style of rock that deviates from the norm
• Ambient – a form of incredibly slow electronic music that uses long repetitive sounds to generate a sense of calm and atmosphere.
• Ambient house – a combination of acid house and ambient music.
• Americana – a combination of all forms of roots music – folk, country, and blues
• Anarcho-punk - punk rock with anarchist themes.
• Anasheed – Islamic vocal music, usually sung a capella, or accompanied by a daff.
• Ancient – music created in the early stages of literate cultures.
• Anatolian rock - a fusion of Turkish folk and rock
• Anime – music, usually J-pop, used in anime soundtracks
• Anti-folk – a mocking subgenre of folk that subverts the earnest, politically-informed lyrics of folk-revivalists.

Ap-Ax

• Apala – Nigerian music originally used by the Yoruba people to wake worshippers after fasting during Ramadan.
• Arabic pop – pop music informed by traditional Arabic styles.
• Argentine rock – rock music informed by traditional Argentine styles.
• Ars antiqua – European music from the Late Middle Ages, which advanced concepts of rhythm.
• Ars nova – style of French music from the Late Middle Ages, rejected fiercely by the Catholic Church.
• Ars subtilior – style of French music from the Late Middle Ages.
• Art pop – experimental or avant-garde pop music
• Art punk – experimental or avant-garde punk music
• Art rock – experimental or avant-garde rock music
• Ashik – music performed by mystic or travelling Turkish, Azerbaijan, Georgian, Armenian, and Iranian bands, using vocals and the saz, performed since ancient times.
• Assyrian pop music - pop, folk and dance music informed by traditional Assyrian styles.
• Australian country – country music performed by Australians
• Australian pub rock – style of hard rock founded in and drawing on themes native to Australian inner-city and suburban pubs and drinking establishments
• Australian hip hop – hip hop performed by Australians
• Avant-garde – music considered to be ahead of its time, often using new, unusual, or experimental elements, or fusing pre-existing genres.
• Avant-garde jazz – experimental or avant-garde jazz music
• Avant-garde metal – experimental or avant-garde heavy metal or hard rock
• Avant-punk – experimental punk music
• Axé – style of Salvadorian, Bahian, and Brazilian music informed by Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian styles

B

Bac-Bal – Bam-Bay – Be-Bh – Bi-Bl – Br-Bu

Bac-Bal

• Bachata – An Afro-Dominican style waltz, consisting of despairing, and romantic ballads, popular among Dominican artists
• Baggy – a British style that combined alternative rock and acid house, often creating a psychedelic and funky sound
• Baião – a Brazilian rhythmic formula built around the zabumba drum that later combined itself with elements of mestizo, European, and African styles
• Bakersfield sound – a raw and gritty country style that acted as a reaction against the slick, overproduced Nashville sound
• Baila – Sri Lankan style that begun among the Afro-Sinhalese (or Kariff) community
• Baisha xiyue – orchestral Chinese style used by the Naxi people, often found in Taoist or Confucian ceremonies
• Bajourou – initially an acoustic style of Malian pop music played at gatherings (particularly weddings), which has since become mostly electronic
• Bal-musette – 19th century style of French accordion-based dance music
• Balakadri – Guadeloupean music made from the quadrille, usually performed at balls
• Balinese Gamelan – Javanese and Balinese style made from xylophones, drums, and plucked strings
• Balearic beat, also known as Balearic house, electronic dance music that was popular into the mid-1990s.
• Balkan Brass Band – Serbian music made by soldiers that combined military brass with folk music
• Ballad – generic term for usually slow, romantic, despairing and catastrophic songs
• Ballata – 13th–15th century Italian musical and poetic form based on an AbbaA structure that acted as a form of dance music
• Ballet – specific style of French classical music created to accompany the ballet dance
• Baltimore Club – combination of hip hop and house music

Bam-Bay

• Bambuco – Colombian style based on waltz and polka
• Banda – brass-based Mexican music
• Bangsawan – style of Malay opera based on Indian styles introduced by immigrants
• Bantowbol – Cameroonian style of accordion music
• Barbershop – an art song in four part harmony in a capella styling
• Barn dance – folk music played in a barnhouse
• Baroque – style of Western art music made between the 17th and 18th centuries
• Baroque pop – combination of classical music, orchestral pop, rock, and Baroque music
• Bass – styles of EDM with an emphasis on bass, such as drum and bass, UK garage, and dubstep
• Bassline – style of speed garage that combines elements of dubstep, particularly its emphasis on bass
• Batá-rumba – Cuban rumba music that incorporates bata and guaguanco
• Batucada – an African-influenced style of Brazilian samba
• Baul – A style of folk music, specially in Bengali region.

Be-Bh

• Beach – Californian genre from the 1950s that combined elements of all popular genres at the time, particularly big band and shag jazz
• Beat - British fusion of all popular 1960s American styles – R&B, pop, jazz, rock
• Beatboxing – a capella music created to emulate hip hop beats
• Beautiful – term of endearment for various easy listening genres
• Bebop – fast paced style of jazz popular in the 1940s and 1950s
• Beiguan – style of Chinese traditional music popular in Taiwan and the province of Zhangzhou
• Bel canto – a light, sophisticated style of Italian opera singing
• Bend-skin – urban Cameroonian music
• Benga – Kenyan popular music based on Luo and Kikuyu folk music
• Bent edge
• Berlin School – heavily experimental electronic music that acted as a more avant-garde form of Krautrock and inspired ambient and New Age music
• Bhajan – Hindu religious music
• Bhangra – fusion of South Asian and British popular styles, initially developed by Punjabi Indian-English as a combination of their respective cultural styles, but later used to refer to any South Asian/European fusion
• Bhangragga – a fusion of bhangra, reggae and dancehall

Bi-Bo

• Big band – large orchestras which play a form of swing music
• Big beat – 1990s electronic music based on breakbeat with other influences
• Biguine – Guadeloupean folk music
• Blackened death metal – a fusion between death and black metal
• Black metal – Extreme metal known for its lo-fi recording, shrieking vocals, unconventional song structures and dark or supernatural lyrics.
• Bluegrass – American country music mixed with Irish and Scottish influences
• Blue-eyed soul – rhythm and blues or soul music performed by white artists.
• Blues – African-American music from the Mississippi Delta area
• Blues ballad – fusion of blues and folk
• Blues rock – a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles.
• Biomusic – a form of experimental music which deals with sounds created or performed by living things.
• Bitpop – electronic music, where at least part of the music is made using old 8-bit computers, game consoles and little toy instruments. Popular choices are the Commodore 64, Game Boy, Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System.
• Bihu – a popular folk music of Assam, India
• Boogaloo
• Boi – Amazonian folk music
• Bossa Nova – a well-known style of Brazilian music, a lyrical fusion of samba and jazz.
• Bounce – energetic hip-hop music, native to New Orleans, frequently characterized by chromatic tics and "call and response" lyrics
• Bouncy techno – an upbeat form of electronic dance music.

Br-Bu

• Brass – music performed with brass instruments, prior to the advent of jazz
• Breakbeat – a style of EDM known for its 4/4 drum pattern and heavy use of turntable scratching
• Breakbeat hardcore – a fusion of breakbeat and acid house
• Breakcore – fast and frantic style of breakbeat known for its intentionally diverse range of samples, which make it a hard-to-define genre
• Breakstep
• Brega
• Breton – folk music of Brittany, France, known for its use of woodwind
• Brill Building Sound – a distinct style of jazz and Latin-inspired pop developed in the Brill Building of New York, USA
• Brit funk – funk performed by the British, often influenced by soul, jazz, and Caribbean music
• Britpop – British rock music from the 1990s that subverted the depressing themes of the then-popular grunge movement in favor of jangly, optimistic, guitar-pop, often touching on the themes of partying and working class life.
• British blues – blues performed by British musicians
• British Invasion – British musicians, primarily of the beat movement, who became popular in America during the 1960s
• Broken beat – EDM played in a syncopated 4/4 rhythm, with punctuated snare beats
• Brostep – an aggressive and metal-influenced style of dubstep popular in America
• Brown-eyed soul – soul music performed by Latinos
• Brukdown – Belizean music inspired by European harmonies, African rhythms, and the call-and-response format
• Bubblegum dance – fusion of Eurodance and bubblegum pop
• Bubblegum pop – pop music known for its simplicity, happy and cute lyrics, and emphasis on image rather than substance.
• Bikutsi – Cameroonian EDM, originating in the Beti community
• Bulerías – fast-paced flamenco music
• Bunraku – Japanese folk music often played at puppet theaters
• Burger-highlife – style of highlife played by Ghanaian-Germans
• Burgundian School – group of French, Belgian, and Dutch composers active in the 15th century, known for their secular forms
• Bush ballad – Australian folk music often dealing with themes of Australian spirit and rebellion
• Byzantine – Greek music performed during the age of the Byzantine Empire, known for its ecclesiastical form

C

Ca – Cc-Ce – Ch – Ci-Cl – Co – Cr-Cu

Cad-Cam

• Ca din tulnic – Romanian folk music played with the alpenhorn
• Ca trù – a style of Vietnamese chamber music performed by one lute player and a geisha-esque female singer, used to entertain wealthy audiences, who would be included in the performances, and to perform in religious ceremonies
• Cabaret – an often jazz-informed style of music played at upbeat stageplays or burlesque shows
• Cadence-lypso – fusion of kadans and calypso
• Cadence rampa – upbeat style of kadans
• Cải lương – modern Vietnamese folk opera
• Cajun – roots music of Louisiana, USA, inspired by Acadian ballads and Creole
• Calinda – Trinidadian folk music played during practices of the martial art of the same name
• Čalgija – Macedonian folk style
• Calypso – Trinidadian folk music, inspired by both African and French styles, and known for its lyrics dealing with the racist oppression of native Trinidadians at the time
• Calypso-style baila – fusion of baila and calypso
• Campursari – Indonesian fusion genre, combining several folk styles with pop music

Can-Car

• Candombe – fusion of African and Uruguayan styles developed by African-Uruguayan slaves in the 19th century
• Canon – any music that combines a melody with copies of itself
• Cantata – any music sung by a choir with instrumental backing
• Cante chico – the vocal component to flamenco music
• Cante jondo – flamenco music that incorporates deep vocals
• Canterbury scene – group of British avant-garde, progressive rock, and jazz fusion musicians based in the English city of Canterbury, Kent
• Cantiñas – upbeat form of Andalusian flamenco music
• Cantiga – Portuguese ballad style from the Middle Ages
• Canto livre – Portuguese folk music known for its far-left political messages
• Cantopop – any Chinese pop music sung in Cantonese
• Canzone Napoletana – Italian music sung in Neapolitan
• Capoeira – Brazilian music played during performances of the martial art of the same name
• Cariso – Trinidadian folk music, often considered an early form of calypso
• Carnatic – southern Indian classical music
• Carol – a festive song, often sung on Christmas or, rarely, Easter
• Cartageneras – a style of flamenco known for its focus on folklore

Cas-Cav

• Cavacha – style of rhythm popular in Kenyan and Zairean music

Cc-Ce

• Celempungan – Sudanese folk music
• Cello rock – rock music that incorporates cellos
• Celtic – folk music of the Celts, an ethnic group inhabiting Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, some parts of France and Spain, and once England
• Celtic fusion – popular music that includes a Celtic influence
• Celtic hip hop – fusion of Celtic and hip hop music
• Celtic metal – fusion of Celtic and heavy metal music
• Celtic punk – fusion of Celtic and punk rock music
• Celtic reggae – fusion of Celtic and reggae music
• Celtic rock – fusion of Celtic and rock music

Cha

• Cha-cha-cha – Cuban folk music
• Chacarera – Argentinian folk and dance music
• Chakacha – music of the Swahili people of Kenya and Tanzania
• Chalga – fusion of Bulgarian etno-pop and dance music with Eastern and Arab elements, popular in Southern Bulgaria
• Chamamé – style of Argentinian, Mesopotamian, and Brazilian folk music
• Chamber – classical music performed for a small audience by a small orchestra
• Chamber jazz – fusion of chamber and jazz music
• Chamber pop – Fusion of alternative rock and chamber music
• Champeta – African-Colombian folk music
• Changüí – Cuban music that fused African and Spanish styles
• Chanson – French vocal-driven music
• Chant – singing or speaking rhythmically to a very small number of pitches
• Chap hop – a variety of music originating from England that mixes the hip hop genre with elements from the Chappist or steampunk subcultures
• Charanga – traditional Cuban dance music
• Charanga-vallenata – fusion of charanga, vallenata, and salsa
• Charikawi – music accompanying of the dance of the same name of the Garifuna people of west Africa
• Chastushka – humorous and fast-paced Russian and Ukrainian folk music
• Chầu văn – a downtempo, trance-inducing style of Vietnamese folk music

Che-Chi

• Chèo – a style of musical theater performed by Vietnamese peasants
• Children's music – any music marketed towards children
• Chicago blues – blues music performed by Chicago inhabitants
• Chicago house – house music performed by Chicago inhabitants
• Chicago soul – soul music performed by Chicago inhabitants
• Chicken scratch – fusion of Native American, White American, Mexican, and European styles, performed by the Native American Tohono O'odham people
• Chill-out – umbrella term for electronic music with a slow tempo, designed to calm people after raves
• Chillwave – indie pop style known for its looped synths and calming effects
• Chinese music – any music performed by Chinese people
• Chinese rock – rock music performed by Chinese people, often fused with traditional styles
• Chiptune – Electronic music that is made on vintage computers/game systems or emulations thereof. May also refer to electronic music that uses samples from video games or vintage computers.

Cho-Chr

• Chouval bwa – Martinican folk music
• Chowtal – north Indian folk music performed during the Phagwa or Holi festival
• Choro – fast-paced Brazilian pop music
• Christmas carol – carols performed during the Christmas season
• Christmas music – any music tied to the Christmas season
• Christian electronic – EDM with Christian themes
• Christian alternative rock – fusion of Christian and alternative rock
• Christian country – fusion of Christian and country music
• Christian hardcore – fusion of Christian and hardcore punk rock
• Christian hip hop – hip hop with Christian themes
• Christian metal – fusion of Christian and heavy metal rock
• Christian music – any music with overt Christian themes
• Christian punk – fusion of Christian and punk rock
• Christian rock – rock music with Christian themes
• Christian ska – ska music with Christian themes
• Chylandyk – style of throat singing performed by the Tuva people of Siberia, created to mimic the chirps of crickets

Chu

• Chumba – folk and dance style of the Garifuna people of west Africa
• Church music
• Chut-kai-pang – fusion of chutney, calypso, and parang
• Chutney – Caribbean pop music that fuses calypso and cadence with several Indian styles
• Chutney Soca – fusion of chutney and soca music

Ci-Cl

• Classic country – umbrella term for country music released before the use of the term to describe it
• Classic female blues – an early form of blues music known for its female vocalists
• Classical – umbrella term for Western art music known for its use of large orchestras and staff notation
• Classical period – a clearer, slicker form of Western art music performed in the 18th and 19th centuries, known for its emphasis on homophones and melody
• Close harmony – any music with notes performed in a close range

Coc-Cor

• Coladeira – Cape Verdean folk music
• Coldwave – French post-punk
• Combined rhythm – Dutch Antillean folk music inspired by zouk, merengue, and soca
• Comedy music – any music that incorporates heavy themes of humor and comedy
• Comedy rap – fusion of comedy and hip hop music
• Comedy rock – fusion of comedy and rock music
• Comic opera – fusion of comedy and opera music
• Compas – a modernized form of Haitian meringue music
• Concerto – a three-part classical piece in which one instrument takes lead and is backed by an orchestra
• Concerto grosso – a form of baroque concerto in which the soloists and orchestra alternate playing
• Conga – Cuban music played to accompany the dance of the same name
• Conjunto – fusion of Mexican and German styles developed by Mexican-Americans who had bought German instruments in Texas
• Contemporary Christian music – pop music with overt Christian themes
• Contemporary R&B – a style of R&B music popular in the 21st century that combines soul-inspired vocals with hip-hop and EDM-inspired production
• Contradanza – 19th century Cuban dance music
• Cool jazz – a relaxed, downtempo form of jazz heavily inspired by classical music, that existed as a reaction to the fast-paced bebop
• Coon song – music about black stereotypes
• Corrido – Mexican storytelling ballad

Cou-Cow

• Country – American roots music played with acoustic guitars, banjos, fiddles, and harmonicas
• Country blues – fusion of country and blues music
• Country folk – fusion of country and folk music
• Country pop – fusion of country and pop music
• Country rap – fusion of country and hip hop music
• Country rock – fusion of country and rock music
• Coupé-Décalé – Ivorian-French EDM drawing on zouk and African influences
• Cowpunk – fusion of country and punk rock music

Cr-Cu

• Cretan – Greek folk music performed by inhabitants of the island of Crete
• Crossover thrash – fusion of thrash metal and hardcore punk
• Crunk – fusion of hip hop and EDM, known for its heavy basslines and shouted, call-and-response vocals
• Crunkcore – fusion of crunk and screamo
• Crust punk – fusion of anarcho- and hardcore punk and extreme metal
• Csárdás – Hungarian folk music
• Cuarteto – Argentinian merengue music, originating in the city of Cordoba, and influenced also by Spanish and Italian styles
• Cueca – umbrella term for Argentinian, Chilean, and Bolivian styles
• Cumbia – fusion of Colombian folk music and African and Spanish styles bought from slaves and colonists, respectively
• Cumbia villera – cumbia performed by inhabitants of the shantytowns of Buenos Aires
• Cybergrind – fusion of grindcore and industrial

D

Da – De-Dh – Di-Dr – Du-Dz

Da

• Dabke – Arabic folk dance music, often played at weddings
• Dadra – light vocal style of Hindustani classical music, originating from the Bundelkhand region
• Dadra tala – a style of Hindustani classical music which utilizes six beats in two equal rows of three
• Daina – Latvian folk music
• Daina – Lithuanian folk music
• Dance – any music designed to make the listener dance. Also known as club music, an offshoot to electronic music which gave rise to EDM.
• Dance-pop – pop music with an emphasis on dance rhythms, fusion of dance and pop musical styles.
• Dance-punk – a grittier and rawer form of new wave music, linked heavily to the contemporary indie scene
• Dance-rock – fusion of post-punk and post-disco, linked heavily to the new wave
• Dancehall – Jamaican pop music that abandons reggae's roots influences for a slicker, EDM-inspired production
• Dangdut – melodic and heavily optimistic form of Indonesian pop
• Danger – any music that will, somehow, potentially harm either the performers or the audience, linked heavily to noise rock
• Dansband – Swedish folk music
• Danza – Puerto Rican style of music that accompanies the ballroom-influenced dance of the same name
• Danzón – Cuban dance music
• Dappan koothu – Indian folk dance music, popular in the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, often used as filmi music in the movies produced in those states
• Dark ambient – style of ambient music that creates a feeling of dread and foreboding, rather than the relaxation given off by most ambient
• Dark cabaret – fusion of cabaret and gothic rock
• Darkcore – chaotic and sinister style of jungle, which relied on pitch-shifting and horror movie audio samples
• Dark pop – fusion of industrial/goth rock synthesizers with hip hop/techno drums
• Dark rock – fusion of gothic and alternative rock
• Darkstep – style of darkcore jungle that takes its signature sinister feel and fuses it with upbeat breakbeats and ambient noises, creating an excessively chaotic tone
• Dark wave – excessively pessimistic style of post-punk, which relied on tales of realistic sorrow, rather than the fantasy elements of the then-popular gothic rock

De-Dh

• De dragote – Romanian love music
• Deathcore – fusion of death metal and metalcore
• Deathgrind – fusion of death metal and grindcore
• Death industrial – fusion of death and industrial metal, linked heavily to the power electronics scene
• Death metal – Extreme metal known for its distorted guitar structure, growling vocals, blast beat drumming and dark or violent lyrics.
• Death-doom – fusion of death and doom metal
• Death rock – style of gothic rock known for its scratchy guitars, and lyrics focusing on supernatural and pessimistic themes, sometimes delving into intentionally campy horror themes
• Décima – Hispanic genre of sung poetry
• Delta blues – blues music performed by inhabitants of the Mississippi Delta
• Deep house – form of Chicago house, inspired by jazz and soul music
• Dementia – bizarre form of comedic avant-garde played by Dr. Demento
• Descarga – a genre of improvised Afro-Cuban music
• Desi – a style of Hindustani classical raga, associated with the Asavari and Kafi thaat
• Detroit blues – blues music performed by inhabitants of Detroit, Michigan, USA
• Detroit techno – techno performed by inhabitants of Detroit, Michigan, USA
• Dhamar – a tala used in Hindustani classical music, associated with the dhrupad style, and played on a pakhawaj
• Dhrupad – vocal style of Hindustani classical music, considered the oldest still being performed today
• Dhun – a light instrumental form of Hindustani classical music

Di-Dr

• Digital hardcore – fusion of hardcore punk and hardcore techno, known for its far-left lyrics
• Dirge – a song of mourning, often played at a funeral
• Dirty rap – hip hop with sexual and pornographic themes
• Disco – a form of music to dance to with elements of soul, pop and salsa.
• Disco polo – Polish disco music
• Diva house – style of house popular in LGBT nightclubs
• Dixieland – an early form of jazz developed in New Orleans, USA
• Djent – subgenre of progressive metal known for its elastic power chords
• Doina – Romanian folk music, informed by Middle Eastern styles
• Dondang Sayang – love ballads from the Malaysian state of Malacca, influenced by Portuguese styles
• Donegal fiddle tradition – an Irish style of fiddle-playing from the Donegal county
• Dongjing – Chinese traditional music of Nakhi people of the Yunnan province
• Doo-wop – a simplistic and pop-oriented form of R&B known for its vocal harmonies and little to no instrumentation
• Doom metal – A style of heavy metal known for its low-tuned sound, slow tempos, clean and non-growled vocals and pessimistic lyrics
• Downtempo – a slow-paced style of electronic music that differs from ambient in that it also has a beat and rhythm
• Dream pop – an atmospheric and melodic style of indie pop that makes the audience feel dreamy
• Drone metal – fusion of drone and heavy metal music
• Drill music - Chicago rap, see Drill (music genre) for more
• Drone – experimental style of minimalism, known for drawn-out and repetitive tones, giving it a droning feel
• Drum and bass – style of EDM known for rapid-fire breakbeats and heavy basslines
• Drumstep – fusion of drum and bass and dubstep

Du-Dz

• Dub – subgenre of reggae in which pre-existing tracks are heavily remixed, emphasizing the drum and bass (or riddim) and dubbing snippets from other works
• Dubtronica – fusion of dub and EDM
• Dubstep – dub-inspired subgenre of UK garage known for its heavy basslines and reverberant drums
• Dubstyle – fusion of dubstep and hardstyle
• Dunun – family of west African drums
• Dunedin Sound – style of indie pop based in Dunedin, New Zealand
• Dutch jazz – jazz performed by Dutch musicians

E

Ea-En – Er-Ez

Ea-En

• Early – umbrella term for any music made from the prehistoric era until the advent of baroque music
• East Coast blues – umbrella term for any blues music made by inhabitants of the American East Coast, usually used to refer to the New York or Piedmont scenes
• East Coast hip hop – any hip hop produced by inhabitants of New York
• Easy listening – pop style aimed at older listeners
• Electric blues – style of blues played with electric instruments, most notably the electric guitar
• Electric folk – associated with the folk revival of the 1960s, electric folk was a style of folk in which modern, often electric instruments, were substituted for classic folk instruments
• Electro – early form of EDM which made its sounds intentionally robotic and computer-like, usually to channel a theme of transhumanism
• Electro backbeat – any EDM which utilizes a 4/4 drum pattern
• Electro-industrial – a style of post-industrial which used heavily produced and layered synths
• Electro swing – fusion of EDM and swing-jazz
• Electroclash – fusion of 1980s synthpop and 1990s techno
• Electronic body music – EDM-informed style of post-industrial
• Electronic dance – EDM; a fusion of electronic and dance music
• Electronic music – music that utilizes electronic instruments, such as the synthesizer, Theremin, and computer
• Electronic rock – fusion of electronic and rock music
• Electronica – popular music that includes electronic instruments
• Electronicore – fusion of electronic and post-hardcore/metalcore music
• Electropop – fusion of electronic and pop music
• Electropunk – fusion of electronic and punk music
• Elevator music – comfortable and soothing music designed for and played in shopping malls, usually elevators therein, to create a sense of ambience and comfort
• Emo – heavily emotional and pessimistic style of post-hardcore punk
• Emo pop – fusion of emo and pop punk
• Enka – a popular, modern adaptation of traditional Japanese music

Ep-Ez

• Epic – modern classical-like music derived from a wide array of genres, primarily trailer music.
• Eremwu eu – work songs of the female bakers of the Garifuna people of west Africa
• Ethereal wave – atmospheric subgenre of dark wave
• Eurobeat – antecedent to Italo disco
• Eurodance – European dance music and evolution of Euro disco that adapted elements of house and hi-NRG
• Euro disco – European disco music, which incorporated elements of pop rock and synthpop
• Euro house – European house music, usually a house-based form of Eurodance or Euro disco
• Europop – European pop music
• Eurotrance – European trance music, usually a fusion of Eurodance with uplifting trance and/or hard trance.
• Exotica – fusion of many popular international genres from the 1950s marketed at Americans, who were attracted to the exotic label
• Experimental – any music that breaches contemporary standards of music
• Experimental hip hop – fusion of experimental and hip hop music
• Experimental pop – fusion of experimental and pop music
• Experimental rock – fusion of experimental and rock music
• Extreme metal – umbrella term for aggressive, non-commercial forms of heavy metal

F

Fa – Fr – Fu

Fa-Fr

• Fado – Portuguese folk music, often touching on the themes of melancholia and working class struggles
• Falak – Afghan, Tajik, and Pakistani religious folk music
• Fandango – Spanish music made to accompany the upbeat dance of the same name
• Farruca – a light form of flamenco
• Filk – style of folk (sometimes expanding to other genres) with heavy science-fiction or fantasy themes
• Film score – any music written to act as a soundtrack to a motion picture
• Filmi – Indian film scores
• Filmi-ghazal – fusion of filmi and ghazal poetry
• Fingerstyle – the act of plucking guitar strings with the fingertips
• Flamenco – popular style of Spanish folk dance music developed in Andalusia by Romani-Spanish (or Gitanos), but latter expanding to the general Spanish populus
• Folk jazz - fusion of folk and jazz music
• Folk metal – fusion of folk and heavy metal rock
• Folk – broad term used to refer to the traditional music of an ethnic group, usually that performed by the working class
• Folk pop – fusion of folk and pop music
• Folk punk – fusion of folk and punk rock
• Folk rock – fusion of folk and rock music
• Folktronica – fusion of folk and electronic music
• Forró – popular Brazilian folk dance music

Fr

• Franco-country – style of country music performed by French-Canadians
• Freakbeat – a frantic, raw style of beat and British Invasion music
• Freak folk – experimental style of folk, often folk-rock
• Free improvisation – completely uncontrolled improvisation
• Free jazz – freely improvised jazz music
• Freestyle – Latin American electro-pop
• Free tekno – style of techno developed by anarchists
• French house – house music produced by French artists
• Frevo – umbrella term for Brazilian dance styles associated with the Brazilian Carnivale

Fu

• Fuji – - Nigerian folk music
• Full on trance – style of psychedelic trance known for its rolling baselines and confrontational themes
• Funaná – Cape Verdean accordion-based dance music
• Funeral doom – incredibly slow style of doom metal, made to mimic funeral music
• Funk – combination of elements of blues, jazz, and soul with the melodies and harmonies stripped in order to emphasize the bass guitar
• Funk metal – fusion of funk and heavy metal rock
• Funk rock – fusion of funk and rock music
• Funky house – fusion of funk and house music
• Furniture music – a calming, live form of background music
• Fusion jazz – fusion of jazz and rock music
• Future garage – style of UK garage that fused it with elements of all other contemporary EDM styles
• Futurepop – style of EDM known for its similarities to synthpop and uplifting trance, as well as its heavy sampling

Next sections

• Section G–M | Section N–R | Section S–Z

References